The Queen's Monster
by Petalouda85
Summary: When Arendelle receives news of Hans' demise, Elsa can't help but feel conflicted over his death. However, her problems start when she discovers a wielder of fire in the forests surrounding her kingdom
1. Chapter 1

**I promised myself I would not start this until I was done with **_**Until the **_**End but I couldn't resist.**

**The cover to this was drawn by my friend Estelle on tumblr. You can find her amazing blog .com.**

**This is a Helsa fanfiction so if you're here to troll on my OTP, get the f- out! I don't care if you don't like Helsa, you're not going to change my opinion of it. If you're going to come here and say "[insert ship name] is better than Helsa", I will delete your comment and you will be to blame for me losing respect for your ship. **

**Anyway, that all being said, enjoy my new fanfiction.**

**Chapter #1**

It had been a year since the Great Thaw. Arendelle had prospered under Queen Elsa's rule, despite cutting trade with a large trading partner. The seas surrounding the castle was a shimmering blue in the spots that weren't hidden in the shadows of the mighty trading vessels. Merchants came from as far as Spain, India, and China to sell their wares and catch a glimpse of the beautiful Queen and her powers.

Elsa had been born with the ability to control snow and ice. Though many thought it beautiful, it gave the Queen many insecurities. She had lived majority of her life in isolation trying to suppress her growing powers out of fear of hurting the ones she loved. She now knew how to control her powers, but her doubts remained a shroud of fog in her mind.

Elsa watched behind a closed window at the bustling market outside the castle gates. From the distance, she caught the glimmers of jewelry, saw the bright cloths of reds, blues and greens. She inhaled and imagined the smell of pepper, cinnamon, and mint. She wanted to go out. She wanted to walk under the sun with her sister and browse everything the merchants had to offer. But she couldn't; there were duties she had to as queen. With a sigh, she turned away from the window and returned to the stack of papers waiting for her examination and hungry for her signature.

She spent the next hour reading each paper, some getting a signature others not. She had just put down a page with the proposal for a tax increase when there was a knock.

"Come in." Elsa said regally. In came Gerda, an old maid that had worked in the castle since before Elsa was born. The woman approached the queen carrying a small tray with a letter on top. When she was next to the queen, lowered the tray,

"Your Majesty. This came for you." Elsa smiled at Gerda and took the letter.

"Thank you." The elderly maid bowed slightly and left the room. Elsa turned the letter over to stare at the seal engraved into the wax. She recognized it: it was the seal of the Southern Isles. With shaking hands, Elsa opened the letter.

It was from the King of the Southern Isles. He asked how the Queen and her sister were and if all was well in Arendelle. Elsa skimmed across the rest of the letter until she reached the near bottom. Her eyes were glued to one line. Once read, she nearly dropped the letter.

_I have to report to you that Hans the Traitor is dead._

Elsa breathed heavily as she held the letter over her heart, her hand clutching tightly to the chair's handle. He was gone, the man that had attempted to murder her and take her kingdom was dead. Letting the letter drop onto her lap, Elsa let out a small sigh of relief, though her mind was feeling the opposite. She knew she should be feeling elated at Hans' death but, from some reason, she felt a twinge of guilt and remorse. How or why she was feeling it, she couldn't decide. Maybe it was because, during Anna's explanation of everything that had happened, she had mentioned his family and their supposed cruel treatment of him.

_Anna…_

Elsa looked back down at the letter and knew that she had to tell Anna what had happened. She deserved to know. The Snow Queen stood from her chair and strolled back to the window, smiling when she saw Anna skipping back to the castle with a bright smile on her face.

Elsa just barely stood at the top of the large stair case when Anna came bursting through the main door, giggling like a little child.

"Elsa!" She called out, running up the stairs two steps at a time to her sister, "It was amazing today in the market!" She piped, speaking so fast that Elsa could barely understand, "There was a vendor bringing things all the way from India! He even let me try a spice called cinnamon! I ate too much and it burned so much in my throat but he was so nice to give me some water and-"

"Anna!" Elsa interrupted, a smile playing on the Queen's face at Anna's enthusiasm before it disappeared as she gave her sister the letter. The princess slowly read the carefully written words, her eyes widening at the sight of the sentence near the bottom,

"Is this really…" Anna started slowly. Elsa nodded, taking the letter back and folding it.

"Yes. It's from the royal family themselves." Anna continued to stare at the letter before throwing her arms around her sister and hugging her tightly. Elsa wrapped her arms around her sister as she heard the young woman let out a small sob. Elsa could only imagine what Anna could be feeling right now. After all, she was the one that was hurt the most by Hans. "Hey." Elsa cooed softly, gently getting Anna out of the embrace and placing her hands on her shoulders, "It's alright, Anna. It's all done. He got what he deserved." Anne looked up to her sister and smiled.

But as the princess walked away to tell her fiancee the news, Elsa started doubting her own words. Had he really deserved it?

**So as you can see, Elsa is having some doubts. **

**The next chapter likely will not come out until after I finished **_**Until the End**_**, which only has two chapters left.**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Until the End is done, which means this fiction is on my hit list for continuation. I don't know why but I had trouble with this chapter.**

**Anyway, enjoy.**

**Chapter 2**

As much as she tried to avoid it, Elsa's thoughts continued to return to her would-be killer. No matter what she tried, her visions would return to the auburn haired prince, his charming self at the coronation and the monster in the fjord. She kept wondering why he did the things he because she couldn't understand how such a (seemingly) charming man could become such a monster.

The worst of it all was: she couldn't figure out why she even cared. For the past year, she had barely spared Hans a thought and now, he was torturing her mind. It was like he had kidnapped her and tied her to a pole so that she couldn't escape and he could always find her.

Her thoughts had been so excessively distracting that she was neglecting her duties as queen. It was the worst whenever she was in council because half the time she wouldn't even be listening to what the old men had to say. The most popular topic lately had been Elsa's status as an unmarried woman. The councilors had been dropping silent hints towards Elsa that she needs to find a husband and produce an heir but lately they had been more bold and blunt.

The council that day had been no different as the men kept mentioning potential suitors, each councilor calling a name. As they kept yelling, the Queen resisted the urge to bury her head in her eyes and scream from embarrassment.

When one of the oldest men yelled out the name of the heir to Lejon, Elsa stood up. She briskly announced that she was not feeling well and that the council was over. She left without another word.

Normally, Elsa would've gone to Anna and vent to her about all that had been happening but Anna had gone to the Valley of the Living Rock with Kristoff. She considered talking to Olaf but quickly dismissed that thought because the snowman knew nothing of ruling a kingdom and the sacrifices that came with it.

With all the other options gone, Elsa decided to go to her ice palace instead. She didn't visit as often anymore because of her duties but the majestic ice building was a sanctuary from the stress.

After changing into a riding habit, Elsa went down to the stable to her mare, Synnøve. The snow white horse neighed happily when she saw Elsa and seemed excited to go out on a ride with her.

The two spent several hours riding through the forest and the mountain. Most of her stress was already relieved when they finally reached the ice palace so Elsa only spent a little time there to say hello to Marshmallow.

By the time she decided to go back, it was nearing sundown. Elsa headed back to Arendelle , though she decided to take a slightly different route than usual. She thought she'd go see another part of the forest and quench her tiny need for adventure. When she reached the new part though, she stopped in shock.

"What happened here?" Elsa muttered to herself as she stared over the desolation of the forest. She urged her mare to slowly make her way through the black trunks, the smoking grass and the dying sparks. She coughed at the taste of stale smoke on her tongue and in her throat. As horrified as she was at the destruction, her mind wondered why news of this fire never reached Arendelle, considering the proximity of the forest to the kingdom.

She stopped her horse when her eye caught something odd. She gracefully slid off and walked to a nearby fallen tree. There, more visible than a full moon on a dark night, was a white handprint. She ran her gloved hand over the print, her confusion becoming greater. She looked up and a little further away was another tree with the same exact print. She walked to it, only to catch sight of a trail of black trees with white prints on it. Her curiosity clouding her judgment, Elsa followed the trail.

As she followed it, she noticed black footprints on the burnt grass as well, spread far apart as if they had been running. Each footstep had coincided with a printed tree, giving Elsa the scenario of someone running and leaning against the tree briefly to catch their breath before continuing to run.

The sun was setting as Elsa reached the ginormous mouth of a cave, bathed in shadow. She looked into the mouth but couldn't see anything. Most people would've left, their mind saying that it was too late and too dark to enter the cave. Elsa was about to do just that but she heard something come from the cave. A scream.

Not just a scream but a howl that was a mix of torturous pain and agonizing fear. A screech that could only be equivalent to the terrifying screams of burning souls in hell. Fire flashed within the cave, a sight that would've sent anyone cowering. Elsa, however, didn't. She'd been afraid her entire life and she'd had enough of it. Taking a glove off, Elsa entered the cave.

The tunnel was long and it was nearly impossible for Elsa to see. Her powers only provided a brief light before smothered by the darkness. In those brief moments though, Elsa managed to examine her surroundings. The ceiling was very high, roughed by the hundreds of stalactites, helictites, and straws that gleamed blue under her brief spouts of magic. The walls seemed as rough but when she touched it, it felt smooth. The smell of a cave was an odd mixture between damp and burned and Elsa sometimes coughed at the gross smell.

Slowly the ceiling came down closer and closer to Elsa until it was just barely taller than she was. She faced an opening in the sudden wall. Throwing her judgment away, Elsa slid through it, careful to not rip her dress. Her eyes widened at the sight that greeted her. She stood on the edge of what could've been a crater, though it was smaller with much higher and smoother walls. She could clearly see the night sky and the thousands of brilliant stars that shined down into the cove. The sheer beauty of it was almost enough to make her smile. Almost.

Breathing that was heavy and shuddering caught her ear. She looked down and nearly gasped at what seemed to be someone on their knees, their hands wringing nervously and held close to their mouth as if they were praying. She took a small step closer, careful to make as little sound as possible. She wanted to get closer, she wanted to help them but there was a feeling growing in her gut like something was wrong with this person. The person led out a gasp that was mixed with tears and Elsa couldn't resist herself. She took another step, the sound of rocks and sand very loud and echoing off the walls.

Elsa gasped in fear when the person suddenly sat up straight, the miserable being they had been only seconds ago gone. They slowly stood up, their back turned to the suddenly frightened queen. The person growled and slowly turned so Elsa saw the right side of his face. The Snow Queen almost screamed. What should've been unharmed flesh was skin burned black and bulging red scars. It ran down his throat, down to his arm. One glistening green eye looked straight at her, angry flaring through it.

"Get out." He growled, a light beginning to form around his hand. He had a deep voice, the deepest Elsa had ever heard in her life. It was also gravelly and croaky as if he had smoked his entire life.

Elsa stared at him as fire began to lick up his arm, her fear preventing her from moving,

"If you don't want to get hurt, leave!" He screamed, the fire reaching his elbow, "NOW!" He screamed even louder, the fire suddenly engulfing him.

Elsa could suddenly move again when he let out another howl. She squeezed through the opening, just catching sight of a bird-like creature made of flame in the place where the man used to be. Her dress ripped as she ran through the hole, through the tunnel, out the cave to her horse. Not once did she look back. She jumped onto the mare and send it with a gallop back to Arendelle. Only when she had reached the stables and back in her room did she allow herself to breath.

Elsa was terrified to think back to the man in that cove and the power he wielded. Who was he? What was he? Elsa stared down at her still ungloved hand, a small snowflake floating in her palm. All her life, she thought she was the only one to wield powers. Then she remembered his face. That face, marred and tortured and maimed by burns and scars. Was he a man? No, Elsa decided, he couldn't be. Could he? She looked at her hand again, remembering the screams of the Duke of Weselton.

_Monster! Monster!_

She balled her fist and closed her eyes, pulling it to her chest at the hurtful memory, tears brimming her eyes. She had never meant to hurt anyone, ever. She had been scared, terrified. She looked out the window in the direction where he was hiding.

Could it be that he was scared too?

**And that's second chapter for you. Just so you know: a riding habit is a dress worn for horseback riding.**

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	3. Chapter 3

**I finished this chapter a day after I updated the previous chapter but I decided to wait a bit before I updated this.**

**Enjoy some cute sister moments!**

**Chapter #3**

Now it wasn't just Hans on her mind. Now, the man with the fire powers was too. Her mind was more focused on the scarred man than the prince was because Elsa had never known that there were others like her out there. One topic that she was wondering about were his scars. Even from where she had been standing and with the minimal light, she had seen that those scars were that of burns. Her mind wondered how he got them. It couldn't have been from his own powers because the wielder shouldn't be injured by their own magic; at least that's what she knew about magic.

Another thing she was wondering about was the bird-like creature she had seen. The man must've transformed into it to get her to leave him alone. While she had been scared on sight, she was curious too because it was a new kind of magic for her, one she was certain she didn't possess. He must be very powerful to do such a feat.

Her train of thought was broken when Lord Landvik, one of the many councilors, spoke.

"Your Majesty, the King of Lejon has offered his son's hand in marriage. Should I reply and tell him you accept?" Elsa rolled her eyes and sat up even straighter in her chair.

"Lord Landvik, I think I have made it more than clear to you and all others present here that I have no intention of finding a husband at this current moment." A small murmur aroused in the room at her comment. Lord Landvik was furious and slammed his fist on the table in front of him.

"Your Majesty, you cannot ignore your duties like this! Not only your duties as a Queen but as a woman too!" Gasps came from several present as Elsa stood and glared at the old man.

"I don't you think you should be criticizing me on the concept of marriage, Lord Landvik, seeing that you are twice divorced and are now onto your third wife!" There was laughter in the room at the Lord's embarrassment. "And secondly," Elsa's voice hollered, silencing the laughter, "Before I am your Queen, I am my own person and I will not set fire to myself to keep you warm. I am my own person, Lord Landvik, and thus, I will make decisions for myself and my decision of marriage will be my own choice; you have and never will have any control over it whatsoever." She paced towards the Lord, though barely spared him a glance as he bowed to her. "Cross me once more on this topic, Lord Landvik, and I will remove you from this council. Is that clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty." The man said in defeat. Elsa smiled gleefully and left the room but as soon as she reached her own, she grunted in frustration and clenched her fists, promptly sending ice up the walls and flurries down onto her hair.

The council simply wouldn't let her go with her decision to not marry. Landvik was definitely the worst of them all, being the stickler for tradition that he was. If he had his way, she would've already been married and he would've found some way to put her husband in power, subsequently leaving her to be some house wife doomed to be forgotten.

"Elsa?" Anna called through the door, followed by her familiar knock. Elsa took a breath to calm herself, waved her hand to make the snow and ice disappear.

"Come in." She replied, dropping herself into a chair. Anna entered the room, shuddering when she felt a drop in temperature.

"Are you alright?" She asked, kneeling down beside her sister.

"Lord Landvik." The Queen simply said. The Princess rolled her eyes and laid a comforting hand on top of her sister's

"Pestering you again on marriage?"

"When doesn't he?" Elsa replied, letting out another sigh, ignoring the small flurries twirling around her. "Why can't that man get it through his thick head that I don't want a marriage of convenience?" Anna shrugged.

"What did you say to him?"

"That I would kick him out of council if he kept pestering me." Elsa replied sourly, looking down at her sister.

"Ha!" Anna exclaimed, "That'll teach him!" She promptly got up and pulled up her sister from her chair. "Now," She said sternly, "after all that drama, I think you deserve to relax."

"What do you propose?" Elsa asked, her tone still one of annoyance. Anna pondered, biting her lip, before her face lit up.

"Do you want to build a snowman?" Elsa stared at her for a moment but quickly, her face lit up with a smile, the flurries around her disappearing. Taking the answer as a yes, Anna dragged Elsa down to the ballroom and promptly locking the door as soon as they were in. Without any instruction, Elsa worked her magic and soon the room was filled with a layer of snow. Giggling like they were children again, the two grown woman crouched down in the snow and began to build.

A few hours passed as they played in the snow. They built several snowmen, which they named Heidi, Alf, and Ea but Elsa made sure they remained inanimate; as much as they loved Olaf, one living snowman was more than enough. After the snowmen, they made snow angels and had a snowball fight, which left the two of them wet and, in Anna's case, cold. Once she noticed that Anna started to shiver, Elsa got rid of the snow and the two sisters went to the drawing room after changing into dry and warmer clothing. Elsa asked Kai to make hot chocolate for the two of them and once he had it made and brought up, the two sisters huddled together under a warm blanket in front of the fireplace, drinking their hot chocolate silently.

"Thank you for today." Elsa said after she finished her drink. "I needed it." Anna chugged the remnants of her drink and smiled at her sister.

"Anything for my sister." She replied. Elsa wrapped an arm around Anna's shoulder and pulled her sister closer, leaning her head against hers.

"I love you, Anna." Elsa whispered. Anna snuggled closer to her sister and sighed contently.

"I love you too, Elsa." She mumbled. Elsa smiled gently and closed her eyes, feeling for the first time in a while at peace.

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	4. Chapter 4

**And another quick update. I actually got the next two chapters written out so expect updates on Sunday for the next 2 weeks. **

**Chapter 4**

Somehow, Elsa managed to banish both Hans and the man with fire powers out of her mind. A combination of Anna's distraction and serious material in the council was enough for Elsa to be free from her mental torture. She slept better now and she was much more focused on her duties as Queen (minus marriage).

This peace, however, only lasted a week.

After another strenuous meeting with Landvik, who surprisingly didn't talk about marriage, the Queen needed another break and decided to go on another ride with Synnøve.

As soon as Elsa was in the safety of the forest, she reached up to her hair and took out her braid, allowing the tresses to fly freely with the wind. She loved the feeling on it; it gave her a sense of freedom. Spurred by this feeling, Elsa urged her mare to go faster and turned her in the direction of a small crevice. The crevice she had discovered in another of her riding escapades but she never jumped over it to explore the other side. Why? Because she was scared to try. She could think of a hundred scenarios of what could go wrong, each becoming progressively worse than the other. But she had decided that she was tired of feeling scared so when the crevice came in sight, Elsa urged Synnøve to go even faster.

The white mare obliged and went into a spurt like Elsa had never experienced and jumped over the crack in the earth. Elsa screamed, both from fear and joy as the two of them flew through the air and landed safely on the other side. Elsa pulled on the reins and they skidded to a stop about 50 meters away from the crevice. The Queen looked at the crack again and turned her horse around and sprinting back to the crevice, jumping over it again with ease.

They repeatedly jumped over it until Elsa noticed that the mare was getting a little tired. At first, Elsa wanted to return to Arendelle until she spotted the charred forest where the wielder lived. Once her eyes were locked on the location, the questions she had about him sprung back into her mind. Who was he? How did he get his powers; was he born with it or cursed? Why did he have those terrible burns?

But now, Elsa realized that there was someone who could actually answer those question.

With a slow trot, Elsa rode towards the Valley of the Living Rock. Night was slowly creeping up on the mountains as Elsa rode by the air vents. When she got to the middle of the valley, she was surprised to see that Pabbie was not in his usual rock form. The elderly troll looked up at the approaching sound of hooves.

"Elsa." He grumbled. "What bring you here? Is something troubling you?" He asked.

"Actually, yes." She admitted. She slid off of her horse and knelt in front of the troll. "Is it possible to be hurt by your own magic?" She inquired, probably talking a little too fast. Regardless, the troll scrunched his brow in deep thought, going through the ancient knowledge in his mind at the speed of light.

"It is possible." He answered, ignoring the little trolls that came closer out of curiosity, "Though it's more likely to happen if the wielder was cursed with the magic rather than born."

"Why is that?"

"Because the body is not accustomed to the magic." He explained and he laid a hand over hers, "You've never been hurt by your own magic because your body is adapted to it. But if someone was cursed with magic, the wielder could be injured from using it."

"So, if someone was cursed with fire magic…" Elsa started slowly while not trying to give a clue to as to why she was asking about it.

"Heaven help whoever comes to that fate." Pabbie exclaimed, "The wielder would suffer terrible burns from the slightest use." He raised an eyebrow, "Why do you ask? This isn't about that fire wielder in the forest, is it?"

"You know about him?"

"Yes. I sensed his magic a few days ago." Elsa sighed and nodded.

"Yes. I ran into him about a week ago by accident."

"And I'd imagine he was burned quite badly."

"Terribly. I wanted to help him but he yelled at me to go away and he transformed into some kind of fire bird."

"Was it a phoenix?" Pabbie inquired. Elsa scoured through the memories of her encounter.

"I think so. Why?"

"If it was a phoenix, I know how he got his powers." And he began to explain.

There was an entity out there known as the Phoenix. Contrary to its legendary counterpart, the Phoenix was more of a demon who traveled with the sun and scoured the lands for a victim to possess. They particularly liked to prey on the individuals that felt the extreme of one emotion, especially fear or anger. Once they found its prey, they would lure them into a secluded spot and invade their body. The Phoenix would keep on living inside the victim, allowing them to use the Phoenix's power, but the demon could only be in control if the victim lost control of their emotions. Once in control, the Phoenix could do anything it pleased until he was exhausted.

When Elsa questioned Pabbie if there was a way for the Phoenix to be removed from someone's body, the elderly troll replied:

"There's only two ways the Phoenix can leave: they leave out of their own will, or when the wielder dies."

"So I can't help him?" She asked dejectedly.

"I never said that." The troll retorted. "I'm merely saying that, if you want to take the demon out of him, it'll be a challenge; the Phoenix is not easily tempted to leave a body." Elsa, slightly disappointed, gave the troll a nod.

"Thank you." Pabbie returned the nod and promptly returned to his rock form as Elsa returned to Synnøve and headed back to Arendelle. The Queen was disappointed that she could do practically nothing to help the wielder. She didn't want to end his life but she also couldn't think of any way that she could lure the creature out of him. The situation already seemed hopeless.

Synnøve suddenly whinnied and buck wildly, nearly throwing Elsa off of her.

"Steady, girl, steady!" Elsa cried, patting the horse on her neck in an attempt to calm her down. It worked, somewhat. The mare stopped bucking but her whinnies were still panicked. Elsa scoured their surroundings to see what it was that spooked the horse. She gasped loudly when she saw the wielder.

He stared at her with wide eyes and immediately ran off.

"Wait!" Elsa called out after him, jumping off Synnøve and pursuing the man. He was a fast runner but Elsa managed to keep up with him. "I want to talk to you!" She screamed, nearly tripping over a log.

"Leave me alone!" He screamed back, the flames beginning to lick up his burnt arm again. He kept running, dodging tree and rocks while ignoring the stinging pain from low hanging branches as they snapped against him.

"I want to help you!" He heard her scream, eliciting a scoff from his throat. Help him? Nobody wanted to help him. Hell, nobody even wanted to be near him. If they did, they wouldn't have abandoned him and left him to die! If they cared,, they wouldn't have called him a shame and worthless. A devil! A fiend! A monster!

He could feel the demon within in him stirring and immediately tried to suppress his anger.

"You won't transform. You won't transform." He chanted to himself as the mouth of the cave, his sanctuary, came in sight. He glanced over his shoulder once to see if she was still following him (to his annoyance, she was) but the instant he did, he tripped over a small boulder at the mouth of the cave. He crashed onto the hard floor, badly scraping his hands and arms while his ankle started throbbing. He let out a cry of pain.

Elsa had watched his fall and immediately ran to him after his cry, falling to her knees beside him as he sat up and groaned in pain. Elsa lay a hand on his shoulder but he instantly recoiled from her touch.

"I don't need your help!" He snarled. He stared at her and it took most of Elsa's inner strength to not gasp or show any sign of fear or disgust towards his scars. He stood up, his face scrunching up in pain, "I don't need anyone's help!" He looked down at the woman, "So stay away from me!" He hollered and turned away, slowly limping towards his cove.

Elsa sat quietly on the cave floor for a while, staring at the spot where the wielder had vanished. She was slightly offended by his harsh rejection but didn't feel that way for long because some part of her just knew he had been trying to suppress the demon and, perhaps, his past experiences with others offering help hadn't been the best.

Still staring into the darkness, Elsa stood up and brushed off the dust on her clothing.

She made a decision there.

The wielder may think he doesn't need help but he did. The clothing on his back couldn't possibly keep him warm from the cool Arendelle nights and he looked half-famished too. Plus, he was injured too.

Whether he wanted her to or not, she would help him.

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	5. Chapter 5

**I almost forgot to update this. I've had to work on a paper for university and fanfiction completely slipped my mind.**

**Anyway, enjoy the chapter.**

**Chapter #5**

Elsa's plan for helping the wielder started only a few days after their last encounter. It was in those days that Elsa set out to discover when he left the cave and after how long he would return. She was surprised to find that he actually followed some kind of a schedule. He would wake up at the crack of dawn and leave the cave for a period that varied between 30 minutes or an hour. When he came back, he'd usually be carrying some form of food, which usually consisted of berries or small animals he had probably caught with a snare or a similar device. He'd then remain in the cave and not come out until noon. Once he did, he'd be gone for approximately the same time and return with whatever food he had found, if any. He'd repeat the same process around sunset.

It seemed that, despite the situation, he was able to uphold some form of normalcy.

For Elsa, it worked wonderfully because she now knew when to sneak into the cave to leave behind supplies for him and leave without him knowing she was there. It was perfect; she could help him and he wouldn't be around to tell her to stop.

The first time she snuck in she left behind a basket that was nearly filled to the brim with food. Bread and apples were among the many items in it. She had even put in some chocolates and a krumkake for "dessert". A few days later, she came back with a cloak and she spotted the basket in the corner of her eyes. It was completely empty.

Encouraged by this, Elsa returned the next day with more food and she took the old basket back.

As the trend continued, the people in the castle began to notice Elsa's absences. First it was the staff, then the councilors, and the Anna. All of them had tried to ask the Queen why she left the castle so often without explanation but each time they did, Elsa would not answer or find a reason to excuse herself from the conversation. It was very suspicious behavior but fortunately, no rumors had sparked from it. Regardless, Elsa continued to leave supplies in the wielder's cave.

The first few times he had found the items, the wielder had thought it was all a trick and that the secret supplier would abandon him like everyone else had but to both his relief and surprise, the items kept coming. A part of him felt grateful to the person. Because of their help, the cuts on his hands and arms from his unfortunate fall hadn't become infected. Because of their help, he had eaten better in the past few days than he had done in the past few months. Because of their help, he didn't have to hurt himself to keep himself warm at night.

But part of him wished they would stop. As much as he appreciated their help, he couldn't help but feel guilty over the fact that they were wasting time on him. He was nothing and definitely not worth their time. Why do they think he was worth their time? Why were they helping him? Why help a stranger? No, why help a monster? Even though he never saw his helper, he was intelligent enough to know that it was the woman with the white hair who was giving him the supplies; he couldn't think of anyone else that may have discovered his hideout or anyone that'd be willing to be near him. The revelation only led to more questions

Why was she helping him? Why wasn't afraid of him? What could she possible see behind the scars? There was a simple solution to his questions: he would ask her.

A week after the supplies had started showing up, the wielder left the cave at noon like he normally did but, instead of going to the traps he set up to see if they had caught anything, he walked until he was out of sight and hid in the ideal spot where he could still see the mouth.

He waited a few minutes and, as he had predicted, the woman snuck into the cave. Once she was gone, he came out of hiding and followed her back to the hideout. Squeezing through the opening, he saw her putting another basket of food in the center and a hump of cloth with it. He took a stance by the opening and waited for her to notice him.

Elsa had brought more food but this time, she had brought some meat too (with a note saying to eat that first) and some more chocolates. The hump of cloth she had brought was a new shirt with some simple rosemaling patterns on it. She actually had already given him a new shirt but she figured it would do any harm to give him another; what if he accidently set one of them on fire?

She made sure that everything was lying neatly before she made the move to return to the castle. However, she stood frozen in her spot at the sight of the wielder blocking her path to the outside world, the scars seemingly bulging with the anger she was sure her was feeling.

They stared at each other in the eerie silence, neither really sure what to do or what to say. The first to do anything was the wielder.

Uncrossing his arms, he stepped closer to her, his stare never wavering and making Elsa look shyly to the ground. Only a few steps later, he stopped again and the silence pursued.

"Why?" Elsa was startled by his voice.

"I'm sorry?" She asked, trying to collect herself from her little scare.

"Why?" He repeated, taking a step closer, 'Why are you helping me?"

"I…" The Queen started but the words got lodged in her throat because she wasn't sure herself why she was helping him. Was it out of pity of the desire to do good? She wasn't sure if it was one of them, both, or none of them.

The wielder was upset she couldn't give him an answer because he desperately wanted to know but her silence continued. With a sigh, he gazed at the ground and said the only sensible thing he could think of.

"Leave." He stepped out of the way and motioned towards the opening, "Please."

Elsa only nodded in reply and headed towards the exit. About half-way there, she stopped and pointed towards the basket.

"There's enough in there to last you a week." She said, trying to sound indifferent. Expecting him to remain silent, she continued towards the exit.

"Thank you." His voice rang softly but Elsa could hear him. She was at the opening but she didn't go through out of surprise. She looked over her shoulder to find him looking back, his scars as visible and as ugly as ever but now she noticed for the first time that the other half of his face wasn't mutilated. She couldn't see much, less than an inch, but it was there.

Losing her voice again, Elsa simply gave him a nod and went through the opening, smiling from both the sign of gratitude and her little victory. He may still think that he didn't need her help but she won the little fight regardless.

**Another update coming next Sunday but I cannot guarantee an update the Sunday after**

**Review, favorite, follow**


	6. Chapter 6

**I know I said I would update in Sunday but I have a final today for Latin (I'm first year university student) and I needed something to distract me. I do have two more finals after today so I can't guarantee an update next week. Try I shall; promise, I cannot.**

**This chapter introduces an OC and trust me, she's important.**

**Enjoy. **

**Chapter 6**

"Where have you been?" Anna demanded as she walked into Elsa's study. The Queen continued scouring over the paper in her hand.

"What?" She asked, her eyes never leaving the writing. Anna stared at her sister for a moment before she paced to the desk, sat down on the mahogany, and tore the paper from Elsa and slammed it down. Elsa let out a whine of protest and reached for it again but Anna stopped her.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about." The sister deadpanned. "Do you really think I wouldn't notice that you leave the castle almost every day without telling anyone where you are going?"

"I hoped so." Elsa mumbled under her breath. She looked at Anna and frowned lightly. "I don't have to tell you everything, Anna. I'm not a child."

"But you are my sister and I worry about you. I can't help it, Elsa, but every time you step out, I'm worried something will happen to you or-" Anna stopped in her sentence when she noticed Elsa staring at the ground. Most would take it as a sign of shame but Anna interpreted it differently. "Wait. Are you seeing someone?" Elsa's head shot up.

"No!" She exclaimed, a red tint unwilling growing on her cheeks. Anna's mouth fell open at the sight of it.

"Oh my goodness! You _are _seeing someone!" She piped, jumping off the desk while Elsa stood up and tried to get away from her obnoxious sister. "What's his name? Is he handsome? Is he tall? Does he have magic too? Why won't you answer any of my questions?" Anna demanded while she followed Elsa around like a shadow through the entire room.

"Because there is no one!" Elsa hollered in reply.

"Is there? because I'm pretty sure you're still blushing." Anna pointed out, poking Elsa's still red cheek. "Seriously, who is he?" By now, Anna had trapped Elsa in a corner. At the same moment, Elsa knew that nothing she would say would keep Anna from pestering her; her issue was that Anna was being loud.

"Can you please keep it down?" Elsa begged but Anna was relentless.

"No, I want to know wha-" To the Queen's relief, there was a knock at the door. Elsa pushed herself out the corner and composed herself before answering. It was Kai.

"Your Majesty, there someone requesting an audience with you in the throne room." He said politely though Elsa could see he was trying to hide a slight grin; he must've heard Anna. Elsa cleared her throat a tad.

"Who is it?"

"Empress Henriette, your Majesty." The man replied.

"As in the Empress of Adler?" Anna interceded, leaning her head on Elsa's shoulder. Kai nodded.

"Yes."

"What is she doing here?" Elsa asked.

"She didn't say." Kai replied. Elsa gave him a nod of gratitude.

"Tell her I'll be there momentarily." The man bowed and he walked back towards the ballroom while Elsa retreated back into the study.

"Why do you think she is here?" Anna asked while Elsa stood in front of the mirror to make sure she looked fine. Anna may not know much about politics but she had her fair share of knowledge of Adler. It was just south of the Southern Isles and it was the largest empire in the world, so large that, if Adler was the ocean, Arendelle would've been a small sea. It also had a reputation of having short dynasties. The longest one had only been 150 years. Just 50 years ago, the House of Langenberg had been replaced with the House of Von Essen. So far, they had kept the peace but whether that would last long, no one could say.

To answer Anna's question, Elsa shrugged.

"I don't know. I can only hope it's good." She turned away from the mirror and held out her arms nervously, "Do I look alright?" Anna inspected her from head to toe and nodded.

"You look fine." She assured, embracing her sister tightly. 'Now go show that empress who the Snow Queen really is." Anna chuckled when Elsa rolled her eyes and left the room, "And afterwards, we can talk about your lover!" She called after her.

Elsa rolled her eyes and continued her path down the hall, trying her best to not let her nervousness trigger her powers. As the doors to the throne room approached, Elsa stopped for a minute to take a few calming breaths. As much as she wanted to deny it, she was nervous. She was about to come face-to-face with one of the most powerful people in the world. How could she not be nervous? Plus, she had no idea why the empress was in Arendelle. For all Elsa knew, she could be here to say Adler was declaring war.

She took one finally breath before opening the double doors to the throne room. The crowd that was already in the room turned their gazes simultaneously to the door and bowed to her. Elsa walked towards the throne and spotted Empress Henriette immediately because, not only was she wearing a dress that screamed her high position, she was the only one not bowing to Elsa. The Queen wasn't surprised by this; Empress was a higher title than Queen.

As the Snow Queen sat down in her throne, the crowd ceased their bowing and watched in anticipation to the meeting between the two monarchs. Henriette stepped forward and curtsied lightly to Elsa as a gesture of respect and goodwill. Upon straightening up, Elsa, among others, finally got a good look at her face, the whispering starting instantly.

Elsa examined the woman, her stomach starting to churn when she saw the olive-green eyes and the auburn hair; they reminded her of someone.

"Your Majesty." She started, tearing Elsa away from her thoughts, "Forgive my intrusion but I really needed to speak with you."

"It's not a problem at all." Elsa said with all the regality she could muster, "What brings you to Arendelle?"

"A rather sensitive topic." She announced, sparking more whispers. Henriette looked to the crowd behind her, biting her lip lightly, "One that I'd rather not speak about with such a crowd." With the whispers getting more prominent, Elsa stood up and motioned the Empress to follow her. She led the two of them to a small meeting room that was attached to the throne room. As Elsa closed the door, the other woman sat down in one of the chairs, waiting patiently for the Queen to join her.

"What is your business here?"

"My business," She started, "Is concerned with the former Prince Hans. Am I right in assuming that you received a letter not too long ago from the Southern Isles?" To answer her question, Elsa nodded thought she was wondering why the woman was asking about Hans. What did Adler have to do with the business of the Southern Isles?

"Yes. It said that he had been executed for his crimes." That was not entirely true; it had only said he was dead and that he had "doomed himself". Elsa noticed that the Empress was fiddling with her hands, as if she was nervous about something.

"I'm afraid," She started slowly, her mind knowing she could end up with frozen feet. She bit her lip again before continuing, "I'm afraid that the contents of that letter were false."

"What?" Elsa gasped, completely caught off guard. He wasn't dead! The King lied to her! But why would he lie to her about something like that? Elsa stood up and stared pacing back and forth, biting lightly on her finger as she thought about this revelation while trying to keeping flurries from springing all around her. If Hans wasn't dead, where was he? Where is he going? What is he intending to do? Along with these questions, another sprung in her mind: how did the Empress know this?

That was the only question the Queen voiced.

"I was present during his trial." Henriette replied. "I was there through the whole process. Hans was to be hanged by the neck until dead but the day he was supposed to die, the guards came to tell us that Hans had escaped in the night with someone's help."

"How do you know this?" Elsa demanded, "They wouldn't tell you this kind of information unless you were somehow associated with Hans."

The Empress had been expecting the question. She took a deep breath through her nose before she answered.

"I know this because Hans is my brother."

**Told ya she was important. The idea of Henriette came to be after I noticed a little detail in Hans' dialogue just before Love is an Open Door. I just noticed that Hans only ever mentioned he had older brothers.**

**EDIT: Forgot to mention that Adler is supposed to represent Germany. The word literally means "eagle" in German.**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


	7. Chapter 7

**One more exam and then I'm home free! My last one I'm not so worried about because I already know the stuff pretty well. **

**This chapter feature the dynamics of the Westerguard family! There's a lot of names, so you might want to take notes. **

**Chapter #7**

"You're…" Elsa stammered, "You're his sister?" She was finding it hard to grasp; she knew that the Southern Isles had 13 princes but she had never heard of a princess. Then again, she didn't know much about the Southern Isle and her childhood isolation had limited that knowledge even more. The Empress nodded.

"Younger twin." She corrected. She stared at her hands, "I wouldn't be surprised if Hans never mentioned me." She said when she saw Elsa's stunned expression, "We haven't had much contact and we didn't leave on the best terms." She explained. Elsa was still trying to process what the empress had told her. Now that she knew the relationship between her and Hans, Elsa could see the resemblance between the two. Same hair color, same eye color and eye shape, and a pointed nose, though Henriette's was not as pointed as Hans'. The only difference Elsa could see was height and face shape; Henriette was Elsa's height and she remembered that Hans had a long face whereas Henriette had a rounder shape to it.

"Yes, he never mentioned you." Elsa stammered out; she was still a little stunned from the revelation. "He only said he had 12 older brothers." The Empress raised and eyebrow and scoffed.

"12 older brothers?" Henriette repeated, "A more accurate phrase would be 2 older brothers and 10 elder stepbrothers."

"My apologies." Elsa said, sitting down in a chair nearby Henriette. "He was very vague on the topic of his family." In reality, Elsa had no idea how much he had talked about his family because she had gotten the information from Anna shortly after the ordeal with Hans.

The Empress didn't reply and they sat in silence for a few moments.

"May I ask you something?" Elsa said. The Empress sat up straight and nodded.

"Of course." Elsa took a deep breath.

"What was Hans' childhood like?" She asked. She wanted to know how he grew up. Maybe, that way she could find out what motivated him to do the horrid things he did in Arendelle. Henriette smiled as if she knew why Elsa had asked the question.

"You'd best prepare yourself; there's a lot to cover." And the Empress began to explain.

She started with a brief outline of her family. Her father was Nikolaus Westerguard, a man who had ruled the Southern Isles since he was 18. He was a very capable leader, ruthless yet merciful, harsh yet compassionate, but his skills as a parent lacked, likely from the surplus amount of children he had.

He had been married four times. His first wife was a noble woman named Viktoria Nordskov. The Southern Isles king fathered the most children with his first wife. In 10 years of marriage, Viktoria had given birth to six boys: Klaus, Niels, Rolf, Sigmund, Torvald and Torsten. Unfortunately, Viktoria died a day after the birth of her two youngest from puerperal fever. Less than a year after Viktoria's death, Nikolaus married again to a woman named Elizabeth Bradford. They were married for nine years and were blessed with four boys: Viktor, Bjorn, Andrew and Christian. However, Elizabeth caught scarlet fever a few months after Christian's birth and she passed away shortly after.

Nikolaus married again a year after Elizabeth's death but, unlike his first two, there was no love in this marriage. Pressured by his council, Nikolaus entered an arranged marriage with a noble woman who was a cousin of the King of Mensonge. Her name was Catherine Desrosiers.

At first, the people didn't think much of Catherine. In their eyes, she was just some foreigner invading their soil. Slowly, though, Catherine won over the people with her kindness, her compassion and her loyalty towards her husband. The same couldn't be said for the 10 sons. The eldest six couldn't stand the Mensong woman because they thought their father was betraying their mother. They simultaneously decided that, if Catherine should have any children, they would make their lives miserable.

Catherine had four children by Nikolaus. First, Edvard and then Frederick 2 years later. Nikolaus did go into the birthing chamber and held the newborns but only briefly before stating that he already had more than enough sons. During her third pregnancy, it was obvious to everyone that she was carrying twins and everyone knew that they would be two sons.

But to everyone's surprise, the children turned out to be one boy and one girl: Hans and Henriette. Nikolaus swept Henriette into his arms and dotted over her for hours, showing her off and bragging about her to anyone who would listen. He didn't even bother looking at Hans.

Despite being completely ignored by both his father and stepbrothers, Hans never felt alone or unloved. He was spoiled and endlessly loved by his mother and he found his best friends in his three siblings. The four of them would spent every living second with each other, playing every game imaginable. They would play tag, hide-and-seek, even play with dolls. Their favorite game was where they pretended to be pirates and one was the admiral that saved the kingdom from destruction. It was usually Hans that played the admiral and eventually, it earned him the nickname _Peu Amiral _or "Little Admiral."

For Hans, it was the best life he could imagine.

But all good things come to an end.

When Hans was seven, Nikolaus did something so unthinkable and unacceptable that it caused civil unrest in the kingdom for several years. When Hans was seven, Nikolaus divorced Catherine after 12 years of marriage in order to marry his mistress.

Being the loyal woman she was, Catherine agreed to the divorce but begged Nikolaus to not ignore her children and to give them the love he had been denying them. She though he was telling the truth when he agreed to her pleas.

Catherine said goodbye to her children shortly afterwards. She gave each of them a special present. To Edvard, she gave a sword of the finest quality she could find. The eldest had always said that he wanted to join the army and Catherine hoped that the sword would help him on that path.

To Frederick, she gave him a large stack of piano compositions from the most famous composers in the world. Frederick had quite a talent when it came to music and Catherine knew this music would encourage him to continue to play.

For the twins she had a shared gift: the complete collection of Grimm's Fairytales. Catherine would regale the twins each night with stories, saying that the stories had the power to heal and to bring loved ones close even if they were far away from each other. She wanted them to continue reading and believing in this magic because now, she would be far away.

None of them had seen their mother since because they weren't allowed to visit her by order of their father. Letter were allowed they were limited to one a month. They had tried to sneak out more but they hadn't had much success with that yet. For Hans, it was torture to have such limited access to his mother. Reading the stories helped but it still wasn't the same without her.

Little did he know that the torture was just beginning.

The new Queen, Mathilde Van Middelburg, was a power-hungry, selfish, manipulative woman. She didn't marry Nikolaus for love as she led him and the court to believe; she married him for the crown. The plan had been simple enough: seduce the king, win over his family and the people and the crown was hers forever. Of course, nothing ever goes according to plan. Mathilde had underestimated how rooted the people's love was for Catherine. Even after months for currying favors with the common folk, they still referred to Catherine as the King's "true wife", where they simply called Mathilde "the Whore".

Both fearful of the repercussions of the people and angry at their rejection, Mathilde began manipulating the princes to speak favorably of her in public. One by one, they fell under Mathilde's influence and the people slowly were pacified. Victory was sure to be hers until her plan back lashed when the four youngest refused to side with her. Edvard in particular was resilient up to the point that he refused to refer to her as his stepmother. The other three caught on to the trend and began ignoring Mathilde, denying her bribing gifts and refusing to hear her lying words.

The Queen needed the favor of the four to consolidate her favor with the people so the woman didn't give up and continued her failing attempts to win over Catherine's children. She eventually convinced Nikolaus to forbid the four children from sending letters to their mother, cutting off their last form of contact. Mathilde hoped that, with the lack of motherly affection, the four would come scurrying to her.

But they still denied her.

Mathilde kept trying but after seven years, she had had enough. She would make them suffer for denying her. The wheels in her head started turning faster than ever as she thought of a ploy that would crush them. After a few days, Mathilde had set up the perfect ploy. With the help of her allies and a few she had bribed, the Queen forged several letters that made it seem that Edvard, Frederick, Hans and Henriette were plotting with their mother to assassinate Mathilde and restore Catherine to the rank of Queen. She presented the letters to Nikolaus with the perfect façade.

The King was fooled by the letters and within a day, Edvard, Frederick and Hans were thrown in the dungeon and Henriette was confined to her room. Hans was moved to his room a day later but his two brothers remained in the dungeon without any knowledge as to why they were there.

They found out a week later that they had been accused of treason and attempted murder. Most criminals were sentenced to death for these charges but because they were still young and of royal blood, their sentence was lighter.

Exile.

At 14, Henriette was forced to go to Adler to live with a cousin of her father. At the time she had no idea where her other brothers went but she discovered nine years later that Edvard had been sent to Lejon and Frederick to Rosenfell while Hans had been forced to remain with their stepbrothers in the Southern Isles.

In the nine years they were separated, Hans and Henriette had no contact because any form of contact was forbidden. They reunited in the dungeon where Hans resided two months after his crimes. At first, Henriette was angry at him for what he did but when he revealed his motivation, she sympathized with him and took his side. Edvard and Frederick followed suit and tried to scrap whatever evidence they could find that could potentially prove Hans innocent or save him from a death sentence. Most of the evidence consisted of scars Hans had received from abuse during the nine years he spent alone with the stepbrothers.

What they weren't expecting was the slyness of their stepbrothers.

"On the day that my brothers and I were going to speak out in court, they locked us in our rooms to prevent us from turning the trial into Hans's favor." Henriette looked down and wiped away a tear. "A 100 lashes was what he got first." The Empress stared at the Queen, "They forced me to watch them torture my brother."

"And what did you do?" Elsa asked, a little stunned from the story.

"What any sister would do. I stopped them." She took a deep breath. "After the 25th lash, I couldn't take it anymore. Hans had passed out from the pain, so I doubt he knows what I did, but I stood in front of him, so they couldn't hurt him anymore."

Elsa simply nodded. Having heard Hans' past, Elsa suddenly had a different view on the man. Gone was the image of the beautiful devil and replaced with a picture of a man with a broken past. Elsa still wasn't sure what his single motivation was but she figures that he was so desperate to get away from his brothers and their cruelty that he was willing to commit murder to do it. Even so, his past could never condone his action.

"Thank you for telling me." Elsa eventually said, which the Empress gave a grateful nod.

"I'm just glad you were willing to listen, considering my relation to Hans." She stood up, her hands clasped over her stomach. Elsa smiled to the woman and took her hands as a gesture of goodwill, despite barely knowing the woman.

"His actions do not define you, your Highness." The Empress smiled.

"I know." She replied, "But they do cause a nasty presumption. And please, call me Henriette."

"Only if you call me Elsa." The Snow Queen said back, eliciting a chuckle from Henriette but soon, her smile fell.

"Can I ask you one last favor?"

"Of course."

"If you do find Hans, I'd appreciate it if you refrained from telling him that it was I that told you he escaped; I don't want him to think I betrayed him even more." Elsa nodded once more, eliciting a sigh of relief from the Empress, "Thank you. Your Majesty." She said as she stood up and gave a light curtsy. She left the room, intending to leave Arendelle that same day.

Elsa remained in the room for some time. If she thought her mind had been tormented by Hans before, this was much worse. She had contemplated whether she hated him or despised him with all her being, previously leaning towards the latter. Now, despising was gone and replaced with a category she would never dare admit to anyone: pity.

Somehow, she found herself pitying Hans.

**I kinda got lazy with the ending.**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Had**** to re upload this because a large section was missing.**

**Got this done just before I have to go to work. I've been working a lot lately**

**Enjoy.**

**Chapter #8**

Henriette had left Arendelle the same day. Elsa, trying to be a gracious host, tried to convince her to stay and rest for a little while but Henriette declined, revealing that no one knew that she was in Arendelle. Henriette promised that she would come to Arendelle again someday, hopefully with a more cheerful purpose.

From there on, life continued as normal, though Elsa was on high alert for the possibility that Hans would return. She had increased the guards around the city and send out more scouts, although she lied that there were reports of bandits along the border that were heading for the city. When she was on her own, she practiced her magic; she wanted to be swift should Hans actually return to get revenge.

But as time passed and there were no sightings of imminent danger, Elsa decided that she was overreacting. She removed a large portion of all the safety precautions she took and continued with her routine like she normally did.

As she had done so often in the past few weeks, Elsa traveled towards the cave with a basket filled with the wielder's supply of food. She didn't bother waiting for him to leave anymore for the obvious reason that he knew she was given him supplies. Elsa hoped that she would encounter him today; she wanted to ask him if there was anything he wanted, something to pass the time.

She went into the cave and walked almost blindly towards the opening. Once through, she smiled when she saw the wielder crouched at the center, putting together a pile of wood and using his magic to light it.

"Doesn't that hurt you?" Elsa asked. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at her lightly.

"Not if I use it a little and briefly." He explained. He leaned closer to the small burning pile and blew on the flames, encouraging them to grow and spread. Ashe repeated the process, Elsa went to him and put the basket down beside him. He turned his attention away from the fire and scoured a bit through all the food, grabbing a small piece of bread and eating it immediately.

"It's the usual amount." Elsa explained. The wielder looked up at her, his face a perfect split between burnt and normal.

"Thank you." He whispered.

"You're welcome." Elsa replied, "Was there anything else you wanted?" She asked. He stood up, allowing Elsa to see his full height. He wasn't as tall as she had expected; he was only a tad taller than she was

"There is something you could bring me." He said shyly, "Grimm's Fairytales?" Elsa looked at him confused for a moment. Why would a grown ask for a book of fairytales? She was about to ask when she remember her encounter with Henriette. She had said that her mother had given her and Hans a copy of the fairytales as a farewell gift. She examined the wielder from toe to head while trying not to give away that she was doing it, her mind rewinding back to a year ago to her coronation.

Perfectly combed auburn hair and dreamy olive-green eyes.

Her inspection found he had the same hair, albeit longer and messier from the rugged outdoor life. And she crossed his eyes, she had to stifle a gasp because they were the exact in every aspect to that of the Adler Empress' eyes.

"Are you alright?" The wielder asked. Elsa shook herself out of her daze and nodded.

"Yes," She panted, "I'm fine, H-" She just barely stopped herself from saying the last word. Luckily, he didn't notice the slip-up. "I'll bring the book as soon as I can." The Queen added. She turned around and quickly left.

Her mind was spinning. The wielder was Hans. There was no doubt about it. All this time, he had been hiding under her nose and, to add even more insult, she had been helping him! In a burst of anger, she swung her hand to a tree and froze it from root to stem.

Upon returning to the palace, she barked to the servants and anyone that she came across that she didn't want to be disturbed. She went into the library, freezing the door shut as an assurance for privacy.

Her mind whirled with feelings of hatred, disgust and pity. The anger and disgust all came from her coronation. Upon meeting him, she had thought him a naïve fool, handsome but a fool, for wanting to marry her sister even though they had only met that day.

The second time she saw him was in the ice palace. He had stopped her from killing two men. From that moment on, he wasn't a fool to her. More so a perceptive man.

Then in the dungeon, he was so much like her. It was almost like looking in the mirror.

But once Elsa discovered from Anna what he had done, all the things she thought he was was instantly gone, all to be replaced by anger for him hurting Anna and disgust for why and how he hurt her.

But the revelations from Henriette had drawn sympathy out of her too.

With a sigh, Elsa stood up and walked to a bookcase and pulled out a large green book with fancy gold letters saying "Grimm's Fairytales."

She decided that she would give it to him, not because she wanted to but because she wanted answers from him.

The next day, she went out once more with the book tucked under her arm. Even after making the decision to give it to him, she still had some doubts.

At one point she decided not giving him the book and to stop giving him supplies, cut him off like others had but, she decided against it; she was not a monster, not like he was.

As she approached the cave, her heart began to pound with nervousness. What if she had mistaken him for Hans? What if he really was Hans and out to get revenge? What if he attacked her?

The last question she pushed to the back of her mind. She had her magic to protect herself with and had been practicing it in case she did run into to Hans and she had to defend herself.

She took the usual path into and through the cave until she reached the opening in the wall. Taking a deep breath to assure herself, she went through, another pang of nervousness hitting her when she saw him sitting by the fire.

Hearing her footsteps, the wielder stood up and a smile came on his face when he spotted the book under her arm.

"You have it?" He asked excitedly, almost running to her and holding out his unburned hand to take it. However, Elsa kept the book out of his reach.

"It's yours if you answer me one question." She demanded. His hand lowered at the demand and his expression fell with it.

"Go ahead." Elsa took a deep breath through her nose.

"Why did you try to take my kingdom, Hans?" The wielder took a step back and looked at Elsa with pain and shock.

"You knew." He replied, confirming Elsa's suspicions: he was Hans. Not wanting to let it slip that he had her fooled at one point, she lied,

"Of course I did. I knew from the moment I saw you." She placed a hand on top of the book, as if wanting to protect it from Hans' hand, "Now answer my question!" She demanded, "Why did you do it?" Hans sighed and sat down on a boulder,

"I suspect that Anna told you that it was because I wanted a throne." He started. Once the Queen nodded, he continued, "That was part of the reason. The main reason…" He hesitated, "The main reason…" The tears began to form in his eyes but he refused to let them fall lest Elsa saw them; he refused to look weak in front of her.

"Is?" Elsa pushed.

"I wanted my family back!" He hollered, throwing his burned arm to the side and shooting a ball of fire at the wall. He panted heavily, both to relieve his anger and his grief. Elsa stood silently, shocked from his violent reaction.

"Your family?" She asked, putting up her façade perfectly. Hans plunked himself back onto the boulder, refusing to look at Elsa before he betrayed the tear that fell from his eye.

"You sound surprised." He said bitterly, "Didn't think this monster would be capable of feeling, did you?"

"I-" Elsa started but she was cut off.

"Don't try to deny it with your pretty words!" He screamed, standing up and finally looking at her, "I know you think I'm a monster! Everybody else does, so why should you be any different?" He spat and he ran out the cave before Elsa could say another word. She stood silently in her spot and moved only when she remembered she still had the book in her arms. Out of some urge of compassion, Elsa put the book down on the boulder and promptly left.

On her way back to the castle, Elsa wondered if she had done the right thing by demanding an explanation from him. Sure, she had the right to demand an explanation but was it too early? As she walked into the city, she had come to the conclusion that she had asked it much too early. She didn't ponder on it too long though; she had something else to take care of first.

**I can't promise an update next week because I have to work every day except for Christmas and Christmas Eve**

**Review, favorite, follow.**


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